A Different Kind of Moon Dance
by iloveromance
Summary: She accompanied Niles to the Snow Ball as a favor when his date canceled on him. But when the evening ended feelings began to transpire; feelings that were unfamiliar and new to her, but not to him. And when they acted on those feelings, her world... and their relationship...began to change. An M-rated version of "Moon Dance".
1. Chapter 1

_**A Different Kind of Moondance**_

_**A/N: Thanks to Brit-mancer85, whose M-rated story, "An Evening With Niles" was the inspiration for what you are about to read.  
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It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

It was just a friendly gesture on her part, helping someone she cared about; her friend… her best friend. But after spending hours teaching him how to dance their friendship had deepened. He no longer seemed nervous about touching her or being in such close proximity and she had to admit that it was nice.

It wasn't as though she was attracted to him romantically, although she couldn't deny that Dr. Niles Crane was very handsome. How his date (or any woman for that matter) could have broken a date with him to something as exciting and wondrous as the Snow Ball was beyond her. Certainly he was pretentious like his older brother and there were plenty of things about him that drove her absolutely mad. But deep down, he was the sweetest man; never failing to pay her a compliment at any given moment. So when he announced that their lessons had come to an end because of his broken date, he looked so forlorn that she didn't hesitate to offer to accompany him. He accepted quickly, which made her incredibly happy, because he deserved every happiness in the world.

She could hardly wait to go shopping for the perfect dress. It took some looking, going from store to store searching for something appropriate to wear for such an extravagant evening. She knew little to nothing about the event they would be attending but she knew Niles Crane. And Niles Crane only attended the best and most lavish functions in Seattle. So the dress she chose could be nothing less than perfect.

Just as she was about to give up, having seen nothing that was remotely suitable and having to settle for a dullish gown she'd worn far too many times, she spotted it. The red dress hung rather inconspicuously on a rack where it was certain to be overlooked. She herself would have missed it had she not taken interest in a lovely seafoam green gown hanging directly in front of it. but the silky red fabric and its vibrant color peeked out from behind the green dress, beckoning to her. And when she removed the red dress from the rack, her breath was taken away. It was absolutely stunning.

Without hesitation she rushed to the fitting room, eager to try it on. Her heart raced as she removed her jeans and t-shirt and then slipped the dress over her head. One look in the three-way mirror caused her to gasp in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The woman in the mirror stared back at her, wearing the same disbelieving expression.

The dress hugged her body; accentuating curves that she had no idea were there. And the slit on one side of the gown gave it a bit of sex-appeal. The latter wasn't her intention, but now that she'd tried on the dress she simply had to have it. The slightly suggestive slit might have been too much, but perhaps no one would notice.

Carefully she removed the dress and returned it to the hanger, feeling only slightly guilty when she glanced at the price tag. It was far beyond what she could afford and it would take her months to pay it off, but it was something she simply had to have. Never in her life had she wanted something more.

On the way home she felt her heart skip a beat in anticipation for the evening and the days seemed to pass much too slowly. But finally the day had arrived.

She'd told no one about her date, save for Mr. Crane, who already knew since he was at Café Nervosa with the younger Dr. Crane when she'd asked to accompany him to the Snow Ball. She hadn't even told Frasier about her date with his brother, knowing full well that he would try to forbid it. Why he insisted on keeping two friends apart when nothing was going on between them was beyond Daphne's comprehension. So she was grateful for his father who reminded Frasier that he had made it clear that he was to be considered invisible for the whole weekend.

The look on Frasier's face when she'd excitedly gone to answer the door was priceless. But it was Niles' reaction that she'd always remember. His mouth fell open and he looked her up and down.

"Wow!"

She laughed at the boyish look on his face, feeling a bit nervous. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. You look quite handsome yourself." And then to her surprise, he handed her a red rose; the sweetest, most romantic gesture she could have ever imagined. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word. And she knew that tonight anyway, she was the luckiest woman in all of Seattle.

Soon they were on their way to the Snow Ball, which was certain to be an event that neither of them would ever forget. But it was what happened after that changed her life forever.


	2. Chapter 2

The line for the valet was long by the time they reached the aptly named Majestic Hotel in downtown Seattle, and Daphne's heart began to flutter. Despite their comfortable friendship, she and Niles had barely spoken on the way there, making her feel a bit guilty.

She tried to keep the conversation light, but every time she opened her mouth, the words just wouldn't come. She found herself asking and answering questions that only required short answers of only one or two words.

She shouldn't be feeling so nervous; not around Dr. Crane, a man whom she had known for three years and had seen almost every single day. But it was she who had asked him to be her date. But it wasn't a date, not in the romantic sense. Because she wasn't attracted to him in any way whatsoever. But she did care about him, deeply in fact. So much, in fact that she could tell how much this evening meant to him.

He was so sweet bringing her a rose. She lifted the slim red flower into her hands and pressed it gently above her upper lip, inhaling its sweet scent. It only took her a moment to realize that the rose had no thorns. At closer inspection, she noticed the short smooth patches along the green stem, indicating that someone (was it he?) had gone to the trouble to remove each and every thorn. The thought that Dr. Crane might have done such a thing…

"Daphne, are you ready?"

Once again she turned her head, brushing a fallen tear from her cheeks. Damn, what was wrong with her, getting so emotional over a silly rose? She could feel Dr. Crane and the valet attendant watching her and she smiled, hoping her smile was sincere. She was happy.

She'd often wondered what it would be like to accompany Dr. Niles Crane on a date, but she'd only had those ridiculous thoughts on occasion; most often when she was feeling lonely and she'd overheard him telling his brother about something romantic he'd done for his wife. Or after his marriage had sadly begun to dissolve and he'd started dating.

But she shouldn't have had such thoughts at all. They were friends and he was the younger brother of her boss. And even if she did have romantic feelings for him, they would only lead to heartbreak; for she was certain that a man like Dr. Niles Crane would never feel that way about her.

"Daphne, are you all right?"

Again she looked up, horrified when she realized she'd been deep in thought. The valet attendant was now standing beside Niles, both men staring at her. Quickly she climbed out of the car and stood before Niles, who nodded to the valet. The car sped away, leaving them standing on the sidewalk. He was looking at her with such concern that she thought she might cry.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"Oh… Yes, I was just thinking…"

"Look, if you don't want to do this, I completely understand. It was so kind of you to offer to accompany me to the Snow Ball, and for giving me the dance lessons, but if you're uncomfortable about this, I-."

Her trembling fingers went to his lips, silencing him. "Hush. I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I guess I'm just a bit nervous."

"Daphne-."

"It's silly, I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be feeling like this… not around you. Now come on. We're going to have a wonderful time, you'll see. I can hardly wait to dance the night away."


End file.
